How to Stake a Peony Bush

The bushy foliage and tall stems of a peony reach up to 3 feet tall. The flowers bloom in early summer, producing large blossoms on slender, delicate stems that are prone to breakage or falling over. This is especially true when rain and moisture make the flowers heavy. Staking the plants helps support the weak stems so your peony blossoms remain upright and attractive in the garden bed. The plants require staking early in the growing season so the support system is in place once they begin to produce flower buds.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

Stakes

Garden twine

Insert four stakes into the ground around the peony plant in spring, forming a box around the plant. Use 3-foot-tall stakes and drive 8 to 10 inches of the stake into the ground.

Tie a length of twine to one stake 8 inches up from the ground. Loop the twine around the other four stakes to form the box.

Attach a second length of twine to a stake 8 inches above the ground. Tie the other end of the twine to a second stake at the opposite corner. Repeat with a third length of twine on the remaining two stakes, forming an X with the twine.

Add additional twine every 8 inches up the length of the stake, forming a twine box and twine X each time. The grid work formed by the twine provides support as the peony stems grow.

Guide the flower stems through the twine grid as they grow. The twine holds up the plants in the event of rain or wind.

Tips & Warnings

Manufactured peony cages provide a ready-made grid that supports peony stems. Place the cage over the plant as it begins to grow in the spring.

The lush peony foliage camouflages the support system, but you can remove the stakes and twine after the peonies stop blooming in summer.